Turkana

The Turkana of northwestern Kenya are one of Africa s last truly nomadic peoples. Turkana is the first book devoted solely to their unique way of life and their struggle to survive in a starkly beautiful but inhospitable homeland.Traveling and living among the Turkana over the course of more than 40 years, NIGEL PAVITT, author of two previous books on Kenya and its people, describes and pictures their daily battle to keep their traditional ways alive. Family life, initiation ceremonies, spiritual rites, and personal adornment are portrayed, as are the Turkana's ceaseless efforts to protect their herds from raids by hostile neighbors and predatory animals.Pavitt's striking color photographs also record the Turkana's environment: broken lava rock, dusty plains, and scorching sun. Here too are startling images of Lake Turkana (formerly Lake Rudolf), a true desert lake sometimes known as the Jade Sea for its extraordinary color. The text traces the history of the people and explores the prehistory of the Lake Turkana basin, the site of some of the world's most important fossil finds and widely thought to have been the cradle of mankind.Pavitt's singular access has created a rare look at a remarkable people and their attempts to endure in the 20th century.